Cycling Nutrition

The Benefits of Milk and Other Dairy Products for Cyclists

Does milk—and its product spin-offs—really do a body good? Absolutely, if you know what and how much to consume.

liz applegate, phd.

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With so many mixed messages swirling around dairy, including some trendy diets that advise athletes to steer clear of it, we're left to wonder which is the better choice: ordering a burrito sin queso or drowning our Cheerios in milk? According to research from the American College of Sports Medicine, milk and other dairy products, such as yogurt and cheese, can and should be part of a cyclist's daily diet.

Besides the health benefits they offer, like strengthening immunity and warding off high blood pressure and diabetes, they're also packed with performance-boosting nutrients, including calcium, vitamin D, and potassium. Plus dairy contains whey protein, which stimulates muscle rebuilding after intense exercise, says Stuart Phillips, PhD, a professor at McMaster University in Ontario. And a recent study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research reports that consuming dairy after a workout improves subsequent exercise performance compared with drinking a carb-supplement beverage.

If that isn't enough to get you to aim your shopping cart toward the dairy aisle, here are four more reasons.